Hurun Report today released the Hurun Global Rich List 2014, a ranking of the US dollar billionaires currently found in the world -

Wealth calculations are a snapshot of 17 January 2014.  This is the third year that Hurun Report has released a ranking of the dollar billionaires in the world, the so-called ‘Nine-Zero Club'. The Hurun Global Rich List 2014 is sponsored by Chinese luxury property developer Star River Property.
 
The List at a glance
 
The Hurun Global Rich List 2014 ranked 1867 billionaires from 68 countries.
 
A 33% resurgence in the US stock markets was the major driver for a record year for the world's billionaires. Of the 1867 billionaires, 946 saw their wealth increase – 152 saw their wealth increase by over 50% - and there were 482 new faces.  Only 318 individuals saw their wealth decrease and 123 remained unchanged.
 
The total wealth of the 1867 billionaires amounted to a staggering US$6.9 trillion, more than the GDP of Japan, the third largest global economy.
 
The average age is 64, up one year from last year. One in nine is female, compared with one in ten last year. Over half self-made women are Chinese.
 
Rupert Hoogewerf, Chairman and Chief Researcher of Hurun Report (right), said, "The US economic recovery and an IT boom have driven the world's billionaires to record levels.  What with the main growth in new billionaires coming from the US, New York overtaking Moscow, technology overtaking real estate as the primary source of wealth and Bill Gates taking back top spot from Mexican Carlos Slim, it has been a year when developed markets have reasserted themselves against emerging markets."
 
"China's billionaires are shooting up the Hurun Global Rich List.  This is why Hurun Report, a media headquartered in Shanghai, China, has set out on this quest to track down and rank the world's billionaires."

Table: Top Ten – Hurun Global Rich List
 
↑ Rank increase yoy  â†" Rank decrease yoy  - No Rank change yoy  * New to Top 10
 
Jeff Bezos and Sheldon Adelson break into Top 10
 
Eight of the Top 10 are self-made and seven are from the US.
 
At 59, Bill Gates shot back up to Number One with a fortune of US$68bn, up US$14bn on the past year, mainly on the back of strong gains in his investments. Gates stepped down as chairman of Microsoft this year, leaving him more time for his philanthropy.
 
Warren Buffett, 84, and Zara founder Amancio Ortega, 78, were second and third for the second year running, growing 10% and 13% to US$64bn and US$62bn respectively.
 
Carlos Slim Helu, 75, lost the top spot that he had been holding for the past two years, after seeing his wealth drop by US$6Bn, mainly on the back of a 9% drop in the value of America Movil and a weak Mexican Peso.
 
Larry Ellison, 70, saw his wealth increase by US$5bn, thanks to a 25% gain in Oracle's stocks. The bulk of his fortune comes from his 23% stake in Oracle.
 
Bernard Arnault, 65, the ‘King of Luxury', saw his wealth drop by US$5bn, on the back of an 11% fall in LVMH.
 
Jeff Bezos, 51, of Amazon and ‘Casino King' Sheldon Adelson, 81, both broke into the Top 10 for the first time, after Amazon and Las Vegas Sands surged 30% and 67%. Bezos is the youngest member of the global top ten.
 
In this past year, Wang Jianlin of Wanda (US$25bn, rank 26), 60, has dominated headlines in China, both for his domestic activity, where he has now become the largest landlord in the country with 18 million square meters, and internationally. Wang has succeeded in listing his US cinema chain, has purchased Sunseeker, a UK luxury yacht brand, has announced a US$1bn development in London and has purchased a Picasso painting for US$28 million. Wang is the highest ranked Mainlander since records began. Little wonder Wang was the Hurun Most Respected Entrepreneur of the Year 2013.
 
The Chinese Year of the Horse is shaping up to be a two-horse race between Jack Ma of Alibaba (tripling to US$7.1bn, rank 192) and Pony Ma of Tencent (doubling to US$14bn, rank 70) for domination of China's internet space. The family name ‘Ma' in Chinese means horse and 2014 is the Year of the Horse in China.  Alibaba, in which Jack owns 7%, dominates ecommerce in China and is expected to be worth over US$100bn after the much anticipated IPO later this year.  Tencent's WeChat tool dominates communications.
 
New energy tycoon Li Hejun, shot straight into 136th place with a US$9.1bn fortune, from his hydropower and solar businesses.
 
Rags to Riches and back to Rags in 3 Generations

68% are self-made.  Of the 32% that inherited their wealth, 331 are second generation, 119 third generation, and 47, or 2.5%, are from the 4th generation or more.
 
The richest individuals from the 4th generation or more are Bertrand Puech of Hermes (US$22bn, rank 31; Gerald Grosvenor (US$11.2bn, rank 104), Bruno Schroder (US$5.9bn, rank 244) & Charles Cadogan (US$5.8bn, rank 248) of the UK; and Antti Herlin (US$5.3bn, rank 279) of Finland.
 
Deaths.Four billionaires from last year's Hurun Global Rich List died last year: Rosalia Mera, Patrick Ricard, Barbara Piasecka Johnson and Otto Beisheim.  Rosalia Mera, ex-wife of Amancio Ortega and co-founder of Zara, died in August 2013, leaving US$6.1bn, 90% of her wealth, to her daughter Sandra, 45.
 
Passing on wealth.Bridgit Rausing, widow of Gad Rausing, heir to packaging giant Tetra Pak gave away her US$14bn fortune to her three children Kristen, Finn & Jorn Rausing.
 
Oldest.The oldest billionaires are 99 year old David Rockefeller Sr (US$2.9bn, rank 596), followed by two 98 year old billionaires; investor Henry Hillman ($2.2bn, rank 852) and Taiwanese Lin Yu-Chia (US$1.7bn, rank 1139).
 
Till Divorce makes us rich. Slavica Ecclestone received a US$1.2bn settlement from F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone after their 23 year marriage, ranking her in her own right on the list at 1211.
 
Others of Note
 
L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt dropped down by one place to 11th, but maintained her title of richest woman on the planet with a US$34bn fortune.
 
86-year old Li Ka-Shing saw his wealth increase by US$1bn to retain his title of Asia's Richest Man. Li has courted controversy in China by selling off much of his Mainland China landbank, leading investors to wonder whether China's property market has peaked.
 
The 41-year old Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin broke into the Top 20, after seeing Google's stock price increase 50%.  Page is also an investor into Elon Musk-founded Tesla Motors, whose stock price quadrupled in the last year. Musk was the biggest gainer last year.
 
Walton family. Were the Wal-mart fortunes to be combined, the family would have US$129bn this year, making them the richest family in the world by far.
 
Stefan Persson, 67, saw his wealth rise by US$7.7bn, on the back of a 25% increase in H&M's stock price.
 
Star River Property, a luxury property developer in China, is the sponsor of the Hurun Global Rich List 2014.  Star River Property is owned by Huang Wenzai, ranked 789, with a personal wealth of US$2.3bn.
 
Politics. 97 have senior political roles, led by 5 ruling families. The richest monarch is the Sultan of Brunei, coming in at 35th place with a net worth of US$20bn. Also making the list for the first time are the rulers of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Liechtenstein & Morocco. However the richest royal is Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud of the Saudi royal family with a net worth of US$29bn.
 
90 Chinese billionaires have senior political positions, up from 83 last year. Mainland Chinese led by NPC delegate Zong Qinghou of Wahaha (US$20bn, rank 35), and CPPCC delegate Robin Li of Baidu with US$10bn.Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, is the richest former politician, coming in at 24th place with US$27bn.

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